How Is a Stroke Diagnosed?

When someone starts showing the signs of a stroke, they need to be taken for a medical checkup as urgently as possible. The most important thing to be assessed is the kind of stroke e.g. whether it’s ischaemic or hemorrhagic. Strokes can be diagnosed through the use of physical tests as well as brain images to look into the damages the strokes have caused.

It’s vital for the medical team to have an adequate understanding of one’s medical history. Doctor’s will assess whether you have displayed any of the risk factors that might help determine if it’s a stroke, such as one’s smoking habits and family history. At this point, the doctors can look for stroke effects, such as numbness, cognitive problems, or weakness in the face, arms, and legs.

CT scans canbe used to look into the brain since they bring out pictures and images of the state of things inside one’s body. To understand the character of the stroke, a CT Angiography can be done; as it shows images of the cerebral blood vessels. Doctors can also use CT Perfusion which helps show the blood flow inside the body. An MRI of the head can be done to diagnose strokes, as it shows more detailed pictures of organs, tissues and bones and most of the internal body functions.

Blood tests are used as a method of figuring out the location, cause and type of a stroke one would have suffered. When a carotid ultrasound is done, it takes images of one’s carotid arteries which supply oxygen and blood to the brain to show whether plaque has caused the arteries to become narrower or if it has blocked them. An Echocardiography can also be done to assess if one is suffering a stroke or not. Sound waves are used in this process for taking pictures so that doctors can see one’s heart.